title: Does body shaping influence brain shape? Habitual physical activity is linked to brain morphology independent of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Physical activity (PA) was found to influence human brain morphology. However, the impact of PA on brain morphology was mainly demonstrated in seniors. We investigated healthy individuals across a broad age range for the relation between habitual PA and brain morphology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-five participants (19-82 years) were assessed for self-reported habitual PA with the "Baecke habitual physical activity questionnaire", and T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were evaluated with whole brain voxel based morphometry for gray and white matter volumes and densities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analyses revealed a positive relation between the extent of physical activity and gray matter volume bilaterally in the anterior hippocampal and parahippocampal gyrus independent of age and gender. Age as well as leisure and locomotion activities were linked to enhanced white matter volumes in the posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus, suggesting a positive interaction especially in seniors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Habitual physical activity is associated with regional volumetric gray and white matter alterations. The positive relation of hippocampal volume and physical activity seems not to be restricted to seniors. Thus, habitual physical activity should be generally considered as an influencing factor in studies investigating medial temporal lobe volume and associated cognitive functions (memory), especially in psychiatric research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg , Mannheim , Germany.
authors.forename: Traute
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Demirakca
authors.forename: Wencke
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brusniak
authors.forename: Nuran
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tunc-Skarka
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Matthäus
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ende
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diener
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Habitual physical activity; aging; cingulate gyrus; hippocampus; voxel based morphometry (VBM)